Music History

“Piano Concerto in B Flat” by Freddy Martin and His Orchestra reached number one on the US chart on October 4, 1941. The recording was based on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto.

„In the Blue of Evening“ by Frank Sinatra reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart.

I'll Walk Alone reached No. 1 on the US Billboard pop chart.

Frankie Laine’s recording of “That Lucky Old Sun” reaches No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Pop chart.

The Weavers reached No. 1 on the chart with the song “Goodnight Irene”.

Roy Brown and His Mighty Mighty Men reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B Best Sellers chart with “Hard Luck Blues”. Brown also wrote “Good Rockin’ Tonight”, a 1948 hit for Wynonie Harris that is regarded by many rock historians as a precursor to the rock ’n’ roll era and was recorded by Elvis Presley in 1954.

Les Paul and Mary Ford reached No. 1 on the Billboard Best Seller chart on August 8 with “Vaya Con Dios (May God Be With You)”, beginning an eleven-week run at the top. The song also reached No. 1 on the Cash Box chart, where it remained for five weeks, and No. 7 in the UK.

Mantovani and His Orchestra were at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Song From The Moulin Rouge” from the film of the same name. It was the first instrumental recording to reach No. 1 on the UK chart.

Frankie Laine reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart with his version of the song “I Believe”.

Guy Mitchell took "Look At That Girl" to No. 1 on the UK singles chart. It was his second UK chart-topper that year, and as an internationally successful singer of the 1950s, he sold more than six million singles.

Stan Freberg reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Pop chart with “St. George and the Dragonet.”

Stan Freberg's “St. George And The Dragonet” reached number one on the U.S. chart.

The Crew-Cuts' version of “Sh-Boom”, also known as “Life Could Be a Dream”, reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart and began a seven-week run at the top.

British music magazine New Musical Express expanded its weekly singles chart from the Top 12 to the Top 20. The rankings were compiled by telephone surveys of approximately twenty record shops about their best-selling records. The growing popularity of the chart led other magazines, including Record Mirror and Melody Maker, to publish their own charts.

Don Cornell was at No. 1 on the British singles chart with “Hold My Hand.” The BBC banned the song because of the words “kingdom of heaven.”

“A Fool for You” by Ray Charles and his group reached No. 1 on the R&B chart.

Chuck Berry's “Maybellene” entered the Billboard Top 100 at No. 13, two weeks after reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard R&B chart, and later climbed to No. 5. The song is now regarded as one of the pioneering rock 'n' roll singles.

Elvis Presley released the single “I Forgot to Remember to Forget / Mystery Train”, which later became his first No. 1 hit. It remained at the top of the country chart for five weeks.

“Maybellene” by Chuck Berry debuted on the charts.

The song “Ain't That A Shame” reached No. 10 on the US pop chart and became the first R&B song to reach the Top 10. Three weeks later, Pat Boone's cover version reached No. 1.

Chuck Berry reached No. 5 on the U.S. pop chart with "Maybellene", while the song spent eleven weeks at No. 1 on the rhythm and blues chart.

Chuck Berry spent his third week at No. 1 on the R&B chart with “Maybellene”.

Mitch Miller reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 with “The Yellow Rose of Texas”. The song originated in 1853; Miller was also an influential A&R executive and producer who openly opposed rock ’n’ roll.

Canadian vocal group The Four Lads made their Billboard Top 100 debut with “Moments to Remember”. The song became their biggest hit, reaching No. 2 during a 25-week chart run and launching a series of twelve Top 40 hits.

“I Forgot to Remember to Forget” reached No. 2 on the Memphis chart. After RCA Victor acquired the recording, it became Elvis's first significant national release and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country and Western chart in February 1956, where it remained for a total of 39 weeks. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Most Played by Jockeys chart and brought him his first significant national publicity.

Chuck Berry remained at No. 1 on the R&B chart with “Maybellene,” which had already spent ten weeks at the top.

The Four Aces reached No. 1 on the Cashbox Best Sellers chart with “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing,” the first American recording to reach No. 1 that had been specifically written for a film. The song reached No. 2 in the UK and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1956.

The Platters scored their second U.S. No. 1 pop hit with "My Prayer," staying at the top for 5 weeks. The song was originally based on the 1926 French composition "Avant de Mourir."

Doris Day was at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera).” It was her second UK No. 1 hit.

Doris Day began a six-week run at No. 1 on the UK chart with “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be).”

Richard Goodman and Bull Buchanan, recording as Buchanan and Goodman, entered the charts with “Flying Saucer.” It was the first song to use the “Break In” technique, in which excerpts of other hits are inserted into a recording. The song later reached No. 3.

The soundtrack album to the musical drama Carousel reached No. 1 on the UK albums chart.

Elvis Presley released the double-sided single “Don't Be Cruel / Hound Dog.” Both songs reached No. 1 on the US chart and together remained there for a record 11 weeks. The record was not broken until 1992 by Boyz II Men's “End of the Road.”

Elvis Presley reached No. 1 on the US pop chart with “Don't Be Cruel” and “Hound Dog,” where the songs remained for eleven weeks.

The Platters reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart with "My Prayer" for a 2-week run.

The Five Satins made their chart debut on the Billboard R&B chart with “In the Still of the Night”, which they recorded in the basement of a church in New Haven, Connecticut. It was originally released as the B-side of “The Jones Girl” on the small Standard label, but after significant local success it was reissued by Ember Records. The single reached No. 3 on the R&B chart and No. 24 on the pop chart and sold more than one million copies. The song is often credited with popularizing the term “doo-wop” because of its distinctive “doo-wop, doo-wah” refrain.

The Platters' “My Prayer” was at No. 1 on the US R&B chart.

All ten songs in the British singles chart Top 10 came from American artists, including Elvis Presley, The Platters, Doris Day, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers and Gogi Grant.

Elvis Presley's “Love Me Tender” entered the Billboard retail-sales chart, where it remained for 19 weeks, including five weeks at number one, and sold more than three million copies. The song was written for his first film, and its melody was adapted from the 1861 song “Aura Lee” from the period of the American Civil War.

Elvis Presley's single "Blue Moon" reached number 55 on the US chart.

The single “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

Debbie Reynolds reached No. 1 on the Cashbox chart with the song “Tammy” from the film Tammy and the Bachelor. The song received a gold record and became the year's best-selling single. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to “All the Way” from The Joker Is Wild.

Debbie Reynolds’ “Tammy” reached number one, where it remained for five weeks.

Paul Anka reached number one on the UK singles chart with “Diana”. It was his only UK chart-topper and also the first UK number-one hit by a teenage solo artist. At the time of the success he was only a few days short of his 16th birthday, and he wrote the song about his brother's babysitter.

The title song from the film “Tammy and the Bachelor”, simply titled “Tammy” in Debbie Reynolds' version, was No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 and Cashbox's best-selling records chart. Debbie was accompanied only by piano on the single, while the film version featured a full orchestra.

Paul Anka began a nine-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Diana”.

On September 2, 1957, Elvis Presley had several chart successes at the same time: the EP “Loving You Vol. II” reached number 18 on the US chart, the soundtrack EP “Love Me Tender” reached number 22, and the song “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” reached number one on the R&B chart.